This is the first Amanda Prowse book I have read since Poppy Day, her debut novel. At the time I thought the story a bit far fetched but the author's writing was excellent. I was thrilled to receive this copy from NetGalley and to get an opportunity to see how her writing had changed over the last five years.

This is the story of one perfectly ordinary, happy family, whose life is shattered by anorexia in one of the teenage daughters. While it paints an excellent picture of this devastating disease it also shows the effect of the illness on the sufferer's family. I suspect these reactions would be similar for other debilitating diseases too.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, but there were a few aspects that I struggled with. As mentioned by other reviewers, Freya's insistence that Lexi stay at home with her, rather than getting the hospitalisation that she so desperately needed was infuriating.

I jarred at the frequent use of the phrase 'my little girl' and the ending was, well, quite frankly, missing. I can't say more about the ending without giving too much away but unless the arc is different to the final copy, there seemed to be at least five chapters missing before we jumped to the epilogue.

I felt a lot of sympathy for Charlotte, Lexi's older sister, who was seriously overlooked in the fight to get Lexi to eat, and the relationship between Freya and her husband, Lockie was interesting too, and quite believable.

Amanda Prowse is one of the most prolific authors currently writing novels. In the five years since Poppy Day she has penned 16 novels and 6 novellas, which is pretty incredible. Maybe a little longer spent on The Food for Love would have earned it five stars but it's still a book I'd recommend.